English language recaps of Telenovelas... This blog is the love child of Pratie Place.

"We love to mock here, don't mistake it for real hate." -- Chris Ferro
"Come, let us gather together and suffer, sisters and brothers." -- Alice
"This has got to be the sappiest, most mindless piece of crap that Televisa ever came up with!
Yet the recaps are hilarious and priceless!" -- riberajoe

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The grief counselors have come and gone. Now only time will complete the healing of the broken hearts of the folks on The Patio. No more evenings with DamFab. No more crazy guys in pants of many colors. No more Sabritas machine humming reassuringly in the background.

["This is getting serious," whispers EJ. "It may be time for some tough love."]

Mads rallies The Patio: "Snap out of it, y'all," she tells them. "That ship has sailed."

[There's some uncomfortable shuffling of feet, a bit of grumbling here and there. But at last they put down their nerfazos and settle down to watch.]

Let's see what is going on tonight in Aguazul, a lovely pueblo by the sea--

Kitchen Chatter at Hacienda Almonte

María pouts because she chased down Alejandro to console him and he sent her away. She is so worried. Everything is changing -- and she's afraid of losing Alejandro. (Oh honey, we won't even go there.)

All cats are gray in the dark

"I thought you were someone else,"explains Montserrat with a smile.

[She had hugged Alejandro, mistaking him for José Luis. Hmm. Is mis-hugged a word?]

When she starts walking away, Alejo calls her back:

No deberías estar sola en la playa a estas horas de la noche.

(You shouldn't be alone on the beach at this time of night.)

He offers to stay with her until her friend arrives. She declines, preferring to be alone. He gets that. But listen...is the person she's waiting for her boyfriend? Montse's not saying. Finally Alejo leaves. Montse covers her face with her hands. Uff! How embarrassing!

Dimitrio the Mole

Dimitrio tells his mother he overheard Montse talking to a man on the phone -- and it was obvious he wasn't just a friend. Mama orders him to find out who the man is. And fast! Voy corriendo, says Dimitrio, pumping his fists like a runner as he strolls out of the room at a leisurely pace.

["Someone should punch that guy in the face," whispers one of the crankier Patio denizens. A few heads nod.]

ESCUELA NAVAL

[No! If they bring back that tedious fool Lázaro, I'm outta here, mutters Elna June! Cap'n Sylvia offers her a soothing cup of herbal tea.Then both realize it is a false alarm. Whew.]

Montserrat's boyfriend José Luis almost makes it out of the building. At the last minute, he is stopped by his superior officer and ordered to attend an important meeting. Now!

I think someone actually may be about to punch that guy in the face.And the gut. And possibly elsewhere.

Two thugs grab Dimitrio while a third gets up in his face and demands the money dim Dim owes him. Dim asks for a few days grace. Instead he gets a serious beat-down.

Money or Love?

Montse's mother stands watch at the window and sees her daughter's late-night return.

Graciela is still furious at her daughter for breaking up with her wealthy fiancé-- she had her hopes pinned on that marriage. It would have solved all their financial problems. It won't be easy to hook another big fish like Sebastián.

Lauro thinks his wife has it backwards -- the important thing is love. And what their girl needs is a little support from her mother.

Enough. Graciela is sick of talking about Montserrat. Lauro throws up his hands, exasperated. (We can bet they've had this conversation before.)

The next day

Hacienda Almonte

"Everyone is waiting for you," Padre Anselmo tells Alejo. But Alejandro has no intention of attending Don Benjamín's burial. He still can't believe what has happened. "Believe it!" says the padre. Don Benjamín changed his will in Alejandro's favor just before he died -- he inherits everything!

A Murder of Crows

A few people wearing mostly black gather around the late Benjamín's casket in the hall of the hacienda. No one is crying. María and Dominga whisper...He wasn't very sociable or well-liked ...Do you think that woman -- his lover -- will show up?...shhhh, no one knows about her...His only real friend was Don Joaquín. María pipes up that the person who should be there is Alejandro.

[And we can guess that María's role will be to pipeup, often with an inconvenient truth.]

Major Plot Exposition disguised as a conversation between Alejo and the padre: listen up.

Alejandro doesn't want a penny from that bastard, Benjamín Almonte. He has earned his own way up to now...

The padre interrupts him. That's why he's always been so proud of Alejo, he says. And here his voice becomes dramatically louder: "Think about it. Don Benjamín wanted to do right by you -- su único hijo en el último momento de su vida!" (his only son in the last moment of his life).

"The right thing?" repeats Alejo incredulously. "And he had the nerve to say that if my parents were alive, they would be proud of me!"

To Padre Anselmo's contention that Don Benjamín had grown repentant at the end, Alejo retorts that it came too late:

(If there were someone special in our daughter's life, we'd know about it, right?)

Or maybe Montserrat has some more surprises for them?

A door slams and Dimitrio walks in, his mouth bloody. His mother runs to him, horrified. What happened to her little angel?

But his father's reaction is quite different. He thunders* at Dimitrio for being irresponsible, staying out all night, who knows where.

[*It is already clear that Lauro's role will be to alternate between doddering and thundering.]

Mommy goes off with dim Dimitrio to care for him; Montse stays with Daddy, tries to calm him, kisses his cheek and tells him to sit and finish his breakfast.

Hacienda Almonte

Padre Anselmo asks Alejandro's old friend Victor (Alexander Ávila) to try to convince Alejo to pay his respects to Don Benjamín. María tries to elbow her way in -- she'll go! But the Padre quickly shuts her down.

[A few hands are raised on The Patio. If Victor won't do it, there are plenty of volunteers for the job.]

Juventino lurks in the background, always silently watching and listening.

The Mind's Eye

The camera follows lovely Montserrat as she walks away from the house. We see a close-up of her face and then her eye. We're in her head! Cool!

[It would be cooler if there were actually anything in it, says JudyB to Carlos with a snicker.]

José Luis...the kiss...why did he stand her up last night...why hasn't he called?

Alejo sits outside his hacienda. Face --> eyeball --> mind:

Cute little blonde on the beach...cute little blonde...blonde...

Victor's voice calls out, breaking into Alejo's reverie. Alejandro is glad to see his old friend. Victor already knows all about Alejandro's situation -- Padre Anselmo has filled him in. What's Victor doing in Aguazul? He lost his job a couple of weeks ago so he's going to be spending some time in the pueblo.

When Alejandro says he's not sure he can accept his inheritance, Victor reminds him that he loves the land and the people who live on it. Maybe Don Benjamín got rich by exploiting others, but Alejandro now has an opportunity to set things right.

Montserrat keeps trying to call someone on her cellphone and can't get through.

Victor's pitch has been successful.

Alejo joins the mourners. The notary introduces him to a sketchy looking guy named Bruno Gamboa, who happens to be the administrator of the Almonte leather factory in Aguazul. Though Gamboa is surprised to learn that Alejandro is the late Don Benjamín's son, he says he is prepared to serve Alejandro as faithfully -- or more so -- than he served his father!

Juventino smirks behind his mustache.

Gamboa's phone rings and he steps away to answer it. It's one of the thugs reporting back: "Dimitrio Mendoza got the message, boss!"

[Oh ho. Gamboa is a very bad man!]

Back at Hacienda Mendoza, Dimitrio fibs to his mother about his beat-down -- just a random mugging that got ugly when they realized he had no money on him. And it had nothing to do with Montse's mysterious suitor.

His mother pressures him to keep dogging Montserrat. She starts with imperious, then devolves to wheedling and seductive. If he does what she wants, then:

Te doy lo que me pidas.

(I'll give you whatever you ask.)

She winks.

[A chill passes over The Patio.]

Montse still can't reach the person she's calling.

Tía Carlota says she and Daddy Lauro are on Montse's side. So tell the truth: Why did Montse really break up with Sebastián? Montse agrees that her dad has the right to know...

...so she walks into Lauro's office unannounced and is startled to see him with Cabo Álvarez (her very own José Luis) The two exchange a sly smile that is not lost on Lauro. Do they know each other? Oh no no no, certainly not. The corporal has come to deliver a message from Capitán Robledo -- their company will be gone on a mission for ten days.

Ten days? repeats Montse with dismay. "That's how it is in the navy," her father tells her. By the way, if Álvarez can wait a moment, he'll go to the wine cellar (cava) for a special bottle he promised his friend Robledo.

Montse and José Luis use their moment alone to smooch and clear up what happened last night. They agree not to say anything to her father until José Luis is back in Aguazul.

Lauro watches Montse watching Álvarez depart.

Over His Dead Body

A small group huddles under umbrellas around the gravesite on this appropriately dreary day. María leans her head on Alejo's shoulder. Padre Anselmo says a prayer for the soul of Don Benjamín.

Tomorrow the notary will start the process of turning Don Benjamín's estate over to Alejandro.

As usual, Juventino lurks in the background. He says nothing. He hears everything.

The notary confides that he is worried about the factory in Aguazul. It has been in the red for several months. If someone doesn't turn it around, it will go under.

"Bruno Gamboa is the administrator?"

Yes. And he has never trusted the man. He's almost sure he was stealing from Alejandro's father for years.

Then Alejo will go there tomorrow, he says, and check things out.

Hacienda Almonte -- the kitchen

María's father warns her to keep her distance (guardar distancias ) from Alejandro. It is different now that he is the boss and a rich man. And he is going to end up courting a very different kind of woman. María refuses to believe what her father is saying.

We see Gamboa and Juventino whispering together, trying to assess the threat that Alejo poses to their dirty dealings. Juventino is sure they can manage him but warns Gamboa that the bastardo is going to be sticking his nose into the factory in Aguazul.

This time it is María who breaks into his reverie. He admits he was thinking about a woman he met on the beach. He doesn't know who she is, but she has a lot of class. [He may rethink that when he realizes who her mother is.] Does María think a woman like that could be interested in someone like him?

María tells him that what matters is ending up with the right woman -- one who will always tell him the truth and will never hurt him.

Is there woman like that out there for me?

Open your eyes!

Maybe later. Alejo is tired. He starts to walk back to the house but María stops him. She doesn't want things to change between them. Oh, no, nothing between them will be different:

Pase lo que pase, tú siempre vas a ser mi mejor amiga.

(Whatever may happen, you will always be my best friend.)

Ouch!

He kisses her brow and walks away. Her face starts to crumple like a kid about to bawl.

On the Waterfront (It must be ten days later because José Luis is back -- squee!)

Montse is at the waterfront chatting with her old school friend Nadia, newly returned from her honeymoon. "What's it like being married?" asks starry-eyed Montse. Is it what they dreamed of when they were young girls?

Not far from where the girls are chatting, scuzzy Gamboa is telling Alejandro that the business doesn't really need new machines. The workers are used to the old ones his father provided. "My father is dead," says Alejo flatly. He is in charge now. If Gamboa doesn't like his decisions, he can look for another job. Gamboa quickly backs down: whatever you say, boss.

During this confrontation, Alejo has spotted Montse and continues to watch...

We hear Montse say she hasn't told her father about José Luis yet. When is he due back? Today!

Meanwhile, Gamboa promises to order the new machines. It will take a few weeks for them to arrive. Is Alejo going to be sticking around?

Montse leaves Nadia -- she promised her mother she'd go to mass. Alejo continues to follow her with his gaze.

[Is that La Tempestad on the horizon? No? Damn. Sorry, Vivien.]

The Mean Streets of Aguazul

The bald thug is telling Dim that Gamboa won't put up with any delay. Pay up or else. Dimitrio promises he'll have the money tomorrow.

Graciela has seen her son talking to the thug, and she doesn't want him to associate with that kind of person. Besides, he should be out spying on Montse. Dim realizes too late that he should have kept his mouth shut about his sister's phone conversation. "Maybe I made a mistake or heard wrong," he says. And anyway, Montse's life is so boring. (La vida de mi hermana es lo más aburrida que hay)

Did they Plan to Meet in Church? Those Imps!

Graciela glares straight ahead. Carlota dozes off periodically, her head falling first on her sister-in-law's shoulder, then on her niece's. The priest drones on.

José Luiz slips in quietly and catches Montse's eye. She excuses herself to go light a candle. (She wants to go now so she can beat the crowds.) She joins José Luiz at the altar to the Virgin. They light a candle together and agree to meet that night out on the dock at 8.

Yo te amo.

Yo más.

Hacienda Mendoza

Daddy Lauro is alone in his office, snoozing in his chair. Montse awakens him with a kiss on the cheek. She tells him Nadia Arguelles is back in Aguazul with her new husband Pedro Medina. She seems really happy. Wouldn't he like to see her in love and dying to get married? Of course. But not right now. After all, she just broke up with Sebastián. "Enjoy your freedom!" he advises. But Montse feels anything but free. She feels like her mother is always spying on her!

To wit...

Enter Graciela. She dismisses Montse because she needs to speak to Lauro privately.

She needs him to write a check so she can make a donation...

[To the Dimitrio welfare fund?]

How many times does he have to tell her? They have no money! The lands aren't producing like they used to, Graciela and Dimitrio spend money like it's going out of style...

But how is that possible when all his friends seem to acquire more land, more crops, more cattle every day?

Because, says Lauro, they use dishonest methods, something he has never done and will never do.

"Do it for your children," says Graciela. "Everything we own is mortgaged!"

[Pluperfect subjunctives and contrary to fact conditionals are are EVERYWHERE tonight! The Grammar Geek table on The Patio is going wild!]

Meanwhile Montse finds out that Aunt Carlota is more observant than she thought. She saw the little candlelight theatre in church and wants to know who the guy was.

Carlota is distracted by Dimitrio's arrival -- Where's my ma? -- giving Montse an opportunity to slip out for a little air...

...which is code for meeting up with José Luis.

Montse doesn't like deceiving her father. She urges José Luis to tell him the truth about them. He is afraid that will put a definitive end to their romance because her family will never accept him, a simple cabo of humble family and limited means.

Montse is convinced that for her father, her happiness is what matters. Finally José Luis agrees. He'll do it -- he'll talk to her father tomorrow.

He lies back on the sand and Montse stretches out on top of him. They are fully clothed, so what happens next is anyone's guess.

The next day

"A million pesos?" growls Graciela. Doesn't Dimitrio know the family's situation? Mommy doesn't get it. If he doesn't pay up today, they are going to kill him!

This interesting chat is interrupted by Carlota's arrival. They'll pick it up later.

Montse is elated when José Luis, as promised, shows up at the front door. What if Montse's father says no? Would she marry him anyway? She's sure that won't happen.

She leaves José Luis waiting outside the door while she checks with her father. Daddy agrees to see him. "Have him come in."

Montse returns to the front door where someone is knocking quite insistently. She flings the door open and sees...

So I'm having a little trouble moving on. I'm not ashamed (well maybe just a little). I'm sure that in time I will grow very fond of the Blue Water gang. But for now, I am comforting myself by binging on imperfect subjunctives. Please don't judge me harshly.

Thank you Novela Maven, you might be having trouble moving on but it doesn't seem to be affecting your recapping prowess. This was chock full of your trademark observations ("we can guess that María's role will be to pipe up, often"), super paragraph titles (loved them all), and we even got a grammar lesson! Nice job.

I'll admit I'm having trouble moving on too. I miss Dam and all the Damisms. No wonder we were all misbehaving on The Patio tonight. However, I didn't let my "mourning" stop me from having some great laughs...Face --> eyeball --> mind. I rest my case.

Ahhh, NovelaMaven, like you and Sylvia, I am greatly missing LT and all our beloved characters. Butchered beyond recognition, it has now concluded leaving us sad and aching for more, including all that we missed.

But onward and (hopefully) upward. NovelaMaven, this was rich and full bodied - your marvelous sense of humor, keen eye for detail and exceptional insight made this a joy to read. I particularly appreciated the embedded vocabulary.

"pluperfect subjunctive", "It is already clear that Lauro's role will be to alternate between doddering and thundering", " Juventino smirks behind his mustache" and "She starts with imperious, then devolves to wheedling and seductive" were my favorites. Although, like you, I was aghast at the implications of Graciela's totally inappropriate(and gut turning) words and flirtatious manner towards her son.

The heat between Rulli and Boyer is still burning brightly and I am totally enjoying both of the performances. Having Alberto Estrella, the marvelous Luis Gatica and always excellent Alex Avila is doing nothing but enhancing the story line for me.

I am too distracted by Dimitrio's unibrow to pay much attention to what he is saying but he better repay what he owes or he will hasten to his grave quickly.

Cynderella, this started a few minutes early and ended about 11 minutes earlier! I believe they were showing soccer promotions.

This is starting off well and thanks to your excellent summary, am not totally lost as to who the characters are. Looking forward to "Alejandro is fed...er...introduced to the Familia Mendoza". HA!

Wonderful recap NovelaMaven! I enjoyed this episode more than the first. But lord, Luis Gatica as an evil minion! Yikes! That I need to get use to.

My sympathies to the patio gang on the demise of the Dam gang. I watched mainly on weekends and the butchering by Univision still makes me shake my head. Those editors need to go to therapy for their scissor obsession.

But on to Roba and a new tale. Just love Rulli and Boyer on screen together. Insane chemistry. Daniela is definitely channeling her best daughter-hating mother. That hair at the table scene...my my my. Bad hair day can really make one a little testy.

"she's afraid of losing Alejandro. (Oh honey, we won't even go there.)" Apparently he has never had a clue that his BFF has had the hots for him all this time. Let the whining begin...(maybe a nice headband would make her feel better? Sorry, after Cuando, I can't get use to her without one!)

So Dom goes away for ten days which I'm guessing gives Mumsy a chance to force Monte to put a ring on it for cash?

Good morning, so nice to see you all here. I must say that I also miss the whole damgroup from RLadee and am wondering what everyone is up to right now. Of course, we know exactly where the baddies are..stoking the fires for el diablo. YaHAHA. Anyhoo, waking up to your clever recap, Novelamaven, , is making the move to Blue Water (lovely name) easier. I must say that I love the houses and the scenes by the water.

I am still seeing AB as the scheming Teresa, but I guess I will buy into Montey's young and innocent vibe...I guess. She is very tiny and delicate looking with that fine, blonde hair blowing all around like a teeny, tiny Barbie doll.

Sylvia, do you remember AB dancing on Bailando ? She was good. Not as good as Liz Vega, but then....who is ???

And WHAT is up with DC's damoutfits ? Is someone in the wardrobe department trying to settle an old grudge? She seems to be wearing clothing that is too big for her..long, flowing everywhere layers of it. Que ?

Rulli is looking good with the longer, curvier locks. Me like.

I get a major kick out of Juvie. He seemed to enjoy that beer. Onward into a new damnovela.

Well, yesterday, the three-year-old started preschool. She will go three mornings a week. She was very excited and had her backpack on when we arrived at her house at 6.45...she did not leave for preschool until 8.20. However, when we picked her up at 11.30, her tiny face looked a little overwhelmed and she said, "I cried a little, but they helped me feel better." Awww. And so my friends, my wish for you today is ...if you have to cry a little today for whatever reason...I hope that someone somewhere helps you to feel better. Now , off to teach modal auxiliaries. Sigh

Susanlynn: "if you have to cry a little today for whatever reason...I hope that someone somewhere helps you to feel better". What a thoughtful, kind comment. We always need a nod of encouragement or better yet, a hug, no matter how old we are.

Hope your little ray of sunshine settles into school and has a better day today.

Hate having to rush through a NovelaMaven recap but the pounder/driller/sanders are about to arrive. Noticed my soul sister Diana picked many of the faves I did but will still mention them. Your clever lines always deserve an encore, NM.

Just delightful. Plus I appreciated the way you recognized our collective grief at la Tempestad ending too soon. When a novela runs its usual course, we are often so sick of the characters and the endless I love you's/I hate you's, that we're ready to see it end. But this truncated version left us yearning...yes, yearning! for more. Especially of Sweet William.

Also, so sweet of you to include all the commenters in your review. Gave such a community feel to it, even though you were doing all the work! Thanks, my clever friend, another gem from your pen. Much appreciated.

I haven't seen the Tempestad but for a couple of episodes, so no comment on that one.Was is as bad as they say, or it was tolerable?

Wow, the sleazy administrator guy is one of my favourite actors, athough I do not think I ever saw him doing bad charater, looking forward to it.Have anyone noticed that he's called Bruno, why the bad guys always called Bruno ??!

I enjoyed seeing Dimi get trashed. :), hopefully not for the last time.

Diana..from the mouths of babes, right ? I, too, am hoping that she settles into her new experience. She was a little disappointed also because she had hoped to find a BFF with straw blonde hair (like hers)..but she didn't. That was a hard pill to swallow even though we told her there was no telling what color hair her BFF would turn out to have. I guess that preschool is often the first taste we get of grim reality. What we must accept as opposed to what we want.

NM..I love your recap...so many clever lines.."all cats are gray in the dark"..."mis-hugged." Too many fun lines to mention them all. And it looks like we have exchanged a Dam for a Dim...how depressing is that. If someone could hold him down for just a few minutes, I could take care of that unibrow for him.

Thanks so much for the hilarious recap! I loved so much and especially the grammar commentary. I was thinking those characters needed the pluperfect subjunctive this episode to express all the regret they were feeling at various lost opportunities: poor Alejandro for never having had a father; evil Graciela for inability to manipulate her daughter and achieve her greedy plans.

I must say that I love Daniela Castro, but ITA that the wardrobe department is not doing her any favors. She is aging well, but a caboose-hugging skirt is no good for anyone in our generation. Let's be kind to ourselves.

I am totally looking forward to Daniela and Sergio together again after FAMILIA -- hopefully they'll be able to hatch up a nice plot.

The only good guy I can remember with the name "Bruno" was that beautiful dog in La Fuerza del Destino.

Good work. I have problems with the pluperfect subjunctive.

I also prefer Sebastian Rulli with longer hair. He's another actor who is historically versatile. With those blue eyes he might even make a credible Viking if anybody dared to write such a story.

Daniela Castro (except in Padion) always seems to have tacky clothes. As for Graciela, I'm sure that necklace she wore at dinner in the opening episode would pay Dimitrio's debt (which is $77,326 in today's US dollars).

NovelaMaven - Thank you for the recap! I caught some of those subjunctives, too.

I forgot this one started on Monday, but caught the 2nd episode, last night. This one looks like a keeper, for me. Y'all make room on the Patio for one more, please. I'm in.

Dimi is definitely going to be a PITA with his gambling problems, etc. Oy.

Angie Dickinson ... er ... Graciela is a real piece of work. But I like her voice; a female version of Cesar Evora. I hear that voice and keep expecting to see ... well, I can't remember her name, but she's a good actress, blonde, deep husky voice... the initials AR come to mind...

That water front scene with Nadia & Montse was a bad green screen fake background. The water did not look realistic at all, to me. Gah. I'll defer to Cap'n Sylvia's opinion on that water.

Face--->eyeball--->mind. Oh good grief, so that's what that was all about. I'm glad NM explained it. I had no clue.

Graciela's caboose-hugging skirt (LOL, Blue Lass) made her butt look like a shelf. Where wardrobe gets those J-Lo-butt spanx things to make their rear ends look bigger is beyond me, but they don't look especially realistic.

It is so wonderful to wake up to your fantastic recap! This is marvelous and then some. I love the musical title! Also loved the shoutout to commenters and you do know me so well ; )

I too am missing our wonderful ship.

Irisz79:

La Tempestad was a surprise and quite good. We just wish they hadn't cut it to ribbons the way they did.

Dimi is a spoiled little boy! He has his Mama wrapped around his finger. I think we all know what lengths she will go to to get whatever little Dimi Dimi wants. I too wish someone had punched him, he needs a good wakeup call.

Poor Monse, but, I do like the way she gets over on her Mama. At least she isn't sitting and crying and wondering, what shall I do? And she has a cell phone! Hide it Monse, hide it! Don't you know Sergio's reputation? I can't wait till he makes his appearance.

I was surprised by Luis Gatica being a bad guy too. Bruno is so slimy along with Juvie. I bet they are in cahoots.

I like Jose Luis, but he seems a bit timid with Don Lauro. I can't wait to see what that convo with Don Lauro will be like.

It's nice to see that some of the Tempestad crew has decided to give Blue Water a try. I'm sure that if we squint a little, we can all look past Montse's Betty Boop "moi?" posing, Dim's unibrow, and Graciela's hilarious wardrobe and concentrate on what really matters: some good old-fashioned villainy, lovely Rulli working the jaw and the tear ducts and careful, clearly articulated dialogue.

I'm also happy to see some old friends and new. Thanks all for your kind words and for taking a moment to comment.

Julia Rold:

" I was thinking those characters needed the pluperfect subjunctive this episode to express all the regret they were feeling at various lost opportunities"

Yes! This may be my favorite comment ever! Do stop at the Grammar Geek table whenever you have a moment.

Sylvia,I thought writing this would be a breeze after our marathon of twofers and threefers. But I was wrong: this one is TALK TALK TALK. And I get so involved in the words that I am like a crazy person who can't tell background from foreground and I just want to get it all in. [I HAVE to get over that.]

Diana the Goddess of Wisdom,

Thank goodness you have decided to join us here.

"Having Alberto Estrella, the marvelous Luis Gatica and always excellent Alex Avila is doing nothing but enhancing the story line for me."

Yup. Me too.

DaisynJay:

Thank you for your sympathy. :)

"That hair at the table scene...my my my. Bad hair day can really make one a little testy."

Indeed it can.

By the way, I realized from your comment that I must have confused everyone when I said Montse and Nadie met "the next day." It had to be TEN DAYS after the Montse-Cabo Álvarez-Lauro scene because José Luis was back from his mission. All the other stuff in between must have been happening over that ten day time frame. Sorry.

As one pointed out with villian names,yes Bruno is really getting old. Like some writers cant name the villians other then Bruno,Fernando,Federico etc.. There is also a Bruno in Por Siempre Mi Amor and a Bruno is the leading galan in Pasion Prohibida.

I sympatyze with Lauro,i would end up in the same state as he if i had Graciela the mother from hell and Dimitrio the lousy irresponsible skank as a part of my family.

I hope Dimitrio enjoyed his "few days grace" ! If he isnt as atheistic as Fully that is..

Thank you for passing along the wisdom of that little grandchild of yours and your wish for all of us:

"if you have to cry a little today for whatever reason...I hope that someone somewhere helps you to feel better."

¡Ojalá!

JudyB:

Not again with the pounder/driller/sanders. Oy. Thank you for getting in your (as usual) too generous comment before the deadline set by the wrecking/construction crew. [But then you know all about deadlines.]

How could I fail to recognized "our collective grief at La Tempestad ending too soon"? I still say it's a damn (not to confused with Dam) shame.

Irisz79:

I'm glad you liked the recap. And no, La Tempestad wasn't bad at all. As a matter of fact, it was a delight. Seriously.

Blue Lass:

You're back with the middle show! Squee! Your seat on The Patio is secure -- no one could ever take your place.

BTW, I didn't get a chance to tell you how much I enjoyed your wicked description of our protagonista yesterday (especially since I'm kind of biting my tongue for now).

Urban:

I have to think about the Bruno thing. It seems to me that Telemundo has had some good guys with that name. (But nobody could be better than that beautiful dog in Fuerza del destino.)

Hey Doris:

We've been waiting for you! But do you really like Daniela's voice? It can be quite effective in character. For me, however, a little of it goes a very long way. I have no idea if the actress is a smoker; but her voice sounds like the prematurely wrinkled face of a smoker looks. Which is to say, not all that attractive.

Good morning Mads:

I just had to conjure up your voice to get me moving on. Thanks for the kind words.

And I am glad I could provide you and JudyB with an earworm today. ;)

Cynderella;

"Did a soccer game come on in the last 10 minutes of this show?"

The show started 4 or 5 minutes early and then ended early for some soccer stuff. The only thing cut from the episode was a repeat of the final scene from Monday, i.e. the mis-hugging.

"Am I crazy?"

I don't know you well enough to speak to your mental health. Lo siento.

Thanks. I'm glad you liked the recap. Come to think of it, there ARE a lot of Bruno's loose in telenovelaland.

Niecie:

"I'm pleasantly surprised that Monserrat is not virginal, whether she's a virgin or not, cause this makes the story more believable to me."

Well said.

"The fact that pop and sis couldn't be bothered to get up from the dinner table to check out his injuries was a hoot."

It was, wasn't it? It was also a hoot the way Aunt Carlota, who is all indulgence and smiles when it comes to Montserrat, treats Dimitrio like worthless slug with poor eyebrow hygiene. (Oh that's right -- he actually is a worthless slug with poor eyebrow hygiene.)

Not to mention this exchange:Dim: They'll KILL me if I don't have the money tomorrow.Mommy: We'll talk about it later.

Loved the intro and recap! I could not keep up with LT but am now watching it leisurely. I too would be upset to see WL leave the screen so soon. Hopefully this TN could maybe fill the whole LT left ;)

I wish I was a grammar geek, I would have been a much better Spanish student. I do not even no what pluperfect subjunctive is :( (hides face in shame).

As for the TN things are moving on quite well. I'm looking forward to this...I have not watched the main characters in any TN but I can tell you now that I already like SR. So easy on the eyes :)

Susanlynn: Loved the update on the first day at preschool. Brought back memories of my twin's first day-same age. One ran off with hardly a "bye Mommy" and the other was a wreck, which made me a wreck. But I got the same "the teacher made me feel better". Wish she had been there for me....

Ah, NovelaMaven, what a rich and detailed recap. The regret over LT painting the background, the pointed analysis of our characters, the juicy words like "doddering", and the grammar goodies to help us strengthen our language skills. Thanks for leading us gently on to appreciation of the new production.

UA, we ALL have problems with the pluperfect subjunctive except for Novela Maven, doris, Julia Rold, and maybe one or two others, myself not included.

Rulli as a viking? Be still my heart.

doris, no comment on the water scenes yet. At least this telenovela is supposed to take place BY the water; I'll take all the little gifts I can get. I wonder if Alejandro will feel compelled to de-shirt and jump in the drink as often as DamDelicious? We can only hope.

About Osvaldo Benavidas who plays Dimi. I remarked about his eyebrows when he was in LQNPA and a commenter said that he doesn't manscape in real life and is comfortable with his eyebrows the way they are. Au naturel so to speak.

Cap'n:

I'm with you about Ale. I hope he keeps taking his shirt off and diving into that Blue Water. Jose Luis too, for that matter. He is a Coastie (Coast Guard) after all ; )

Believe me, I make plenty of mistakes with the subjunctive. It's just that I revel in it. It delights me that modern Spanish holds on to the subtle distinctions of mood and tense that are much less robust in, say, modern French or Italian.

I didn't learn Spanish in school. I just bumble along learning from lots of different sources. I think the imperfect subjunctive -- si pudiera, si hubiera (if I could, if I had) -- and the pluperfect subjunctive -- si hubiero estado, si hubiera sabido (if I had been, if had known) -- have their own rhythms. It's no accident that they are so frequently encountered in songs.

Joan Sebastian's song, Si hubiera sabido ayer (If I had known yesterday) is a great way to get a sense of the pluperfect subjunctive:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG1jGP54jZc

Si hubiera sabido ayer que un día ibas a llegar(If I had known yesterday that one day you were going to come along)

me hubiera ahorrado los pasos(I would have saved the steps)

que gasté sin rumbo al vagabundear(I wasted wandering aimlessly)

Si hubiera sabido ayer que un día llegarías tú(If I had known yesterday that one day you would come along)

" But do you really like Daniela's voice? It can be quite effective in character. For me, however, a little of it goes a very long way."NM - Last night's ep was my first time to see this actress, and hear her voice. No doubt, a little will go along way. Time will tell.

Lovely song! Thank you for posting it. I'm pretty sure the first time I notice the pluperfect subjunctive (or close to it I guess) was when I heard and then translated Marco Antonio Solis's Si No Te Hubieras Ido. It's such a lovely tense, as Julia Rold notes, for conveying regret.

I know you're going to enjoy La T -- it just keeps getting better as it goes along. I'm glad you enjoyed the recap.

La Paloma:

I think I like the wording in your comment better than anything I put in the damn (not to be confused with Dam) recap. I'm feeling a little jealous right now.:)

Katy:

Thanks so much, amiga!

You and Demetrios made me curious about the origin of Montserrat so I did some digging. It is Spanish -- well Catalan actually -- and comes from the name of a mountain near Barcelona. The Catalan is from the Latin "mons" + "serratus" or "jagged mountain."

I've seen a few protagonistas named Montserrat. I gather it's kind of a popular name in Mexico right now.

I like Marco Antonio Solís a lot too and I especially love "Si no te hubieras ido"!

Did you know that he and Enrique Iglesias sing the main theme song of this novela? The song itself, "El perdedor," (the loser) was written by Iglesias. [which suggests, I suppose, that the writers aren't thinking comedy. That's ok. We'll make our own fun.]

Other familiar faces: Jose Luis’ friend (AB, MEPS). I wonder if he’ll be paired with Maria like they were in CME. Fernando from PEAM. I love seeing familiar faces. But Luis Gatica playing a bad guy-----noooooooooooooo!!!!!

Another Padre Anselmo (remember PA from AB? My all time fav—Alejandro Ruiz).

And still, no one notices skeezy guy wearing that big a$$ ring of the dead patron’s.

OK. Your boyfriend is in the navy. Could it be he had to actually do his job instead of meeting you?

I like this TN, but it’s not grabbing me immediately like AB did. Miss that feeling.

Didn’t see much of LT, but what I saw, I was impressed with the lead actress. Her first job—a long TN and playing twins convincingly, which isn’t easy for a seasoned actor.

NM, yes I quite like this theme song. I have always loved MAS's voice, even before I started trying to learn Spanish. In fact, I think it was hearing him on the radio, along with Mana, that prompted me to start learning the language.

Nanette, I was thinking the same thing about that darn ring especially the way Juventino kept flashing it around. The dude is not subtle.

The hell, how does Dim dim (love the nickname!) end up owing someone a million pesos? Is he buying a lot of blow? And why would he need to borrow money when it seems that daddy was paying for everything? A million pesos! You would think that with that kind of money dude could have gotten himself a good waxing job for those things on his face, or perhaps even laser hair removal surgery. Hey, it worked for the Kardashians.

Thanks for the beautiful song! Glad my comment inspired you to share it. I teach language, so I often like to try to give my students a motivation to learn grammar. I always tell them when they feel regret over something they did or didn't do, they're going to wish they'd studied that tense! I know I have plenty of reason to use it in life.

I will be recapping tonight--my first ever--so thanks to all for making me feel welcome and commenting on my comment! Hasta pronto!

You brought up a good point about Jose Luis being in the Navy. Even though they mentioned Coast Guard in Monday's epi, in Mexico the duties of the Coast Guard are part of the Mexican Navy. In the U.S., The Coast Guard is it's own separate entity but under Homeland Security.

By the way Jose Luis' rank of Cabo, which is a corporal in Mexico, is equivalent to a 3rd Class Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy. Pay is low so I get why Jose Luis is sweating bullets.

"And still, no one notices skeezy guy wearing that big a$$ ring of the dead patron’s."

I know. Hilarious, right?

Sylvia:"The dude is not subtle."

Can you accuse anyone in this culebrón of that particular sin? [snort]

Julia Rold:

I'm delighted to hear you are a language teacher. What a terrific addition to the mix. [A few of your colleagues hang out here too, but I'll let them introduce themselves when the spirit moves them.]

Looking forward to your recapping debut tonight.

Mads:

Thanks for reinforcing the NO SPOILER policy!

And thanks too for clarifying the Coast Guard/Navy stuff and JL's rank. I was thinking he looked a little long in the tooth for someone of such a low rank. Not a guy with a brilliant future, is he? [Oh dear. Am I starting to sympathize with Graciela? Better watch my step.]

Eli:Thanks for stopping by.

"A million pesos! You would think that with that kind of money dude could have gotten himself a good waxing job for those things on his face"

Mads: I would have thought with her guy in the navy/coast guard that she would have realized she was going to be a military wife. If she's going to be that way about it, she's better suited to Alejandro.

The ring is really bothering me. It's just too obvious to be missed. Hope this isn't going to be a tin foil hat moment for me this early in the TN.

I don't think Monse thought that far ahead. I bet she never thought about deployments either, and it was funny her reaction about the ten days of maneuvers, lol.

About the ring, maybe someone will eventually notice he is wearing it. I will keep my eye peeled to see if he keeps wearing it, cause maybe it will important later. Otherwise why keep showing that ring on his finger?

I love your new Avatar! So funny. OT: By the way they have started showing "La Madrastra" on the Uni Telenovelas Channel, that I happen to get, and let me tell you, it is as funny as that clip you put up from "The Soup" awhile back. Rene Casados is wearing eyeliner, gasp and I think a hint of pink lipstick. Anyone that gets this channel from your cable provider you really gotta check this one out. This channel usually comes with a Latin Tier. If you have Telemundo, you should be getting this. Cesar Evora is a galan in this one, and Vikki Ruffo is up to her crying game. It really is a must see ; )

Since people speak about Victoria Ruffo, i read on the wiki not a while ago that she will star in La Malquerida along side Adriana Luvier and Jorge Salinas.. Now that is quite a strange cast i must say,will VR finally get her villian role ?

NovelaMaven- Sorry to be so late to the party. This recap was an absolute delight. Thank you for acknowledging the loss of La Tempestad, and opening up a new spot on the Patio for Robo. I enjoyed episode 2, and I have to agree that SR is improving in looks, and in acting skill with each tn. He looked particularly good with his hair blowing in the breeze on the beach, and draped across the steps in the hacienda, thinking about that cute little blond.

Perhaps no one cares that Juventino took the ring. No one actually liked the Patron that much, and they didn't even want to be at his funeral.

I also like that Monse (even if she is still a virgin) isn't virginal in the traditional heroine sense. The girl clearly knows she's attractive, and enjoys making out/heavy petting with her boyfriend. Good for her! I do agree with her father that she's too young to get married, and should travel, go to university, and have fun before tying the knot. She’s being awfully naïve to think that dad will be happy with her marrying at all, and marrying a man who doesn’t have the means to support her. Not saying he wants her to marry a millionaire, and I know he believes one should marry for love; but I also think he’s a realist. Monse doesn’t have an education or job, and her boyfriend doesn’t have many prospects.

On the surface don Lauro seems like a pretty nice guy but here he is being tough on his son (who I admit, seems pretty worthless), while he himself has apparently been busy pilfering away a fortune and is on the brink of bankruptcy.

Do we know when Don Lauro left the navy? Considering he's still close enough to the current commander to get updates on deployments and to enjoy dinners and wine together, I'm assuming it wasn't all that long ago. Perhaps while he was focusing on his naval career, his wife, son, and his business/hacienda managers were busy wrecking his finances?

Sylvia:Yes, a murder of crows. Glad you got a chuckle out of it. It was floating around in my mind because at one point I toyed with using James Lipton's book, An Exaltation of Larks, as the theme for a whole recap. But it just didn't quite fit. Maybe in the future.

(In case you are wondering, Lipton's book is a collection of collective nouns in the English language, some with an impressive pedigree, others just made up on the spot.)

Vivi:We've been expecting you on The Patio! Pull up a chair and have a drink. Carlos is buying. (He's making out like a bandit with his new graphic design business.)

PS: the crancky patio member that would be suggesting physical violence be used on Dim dim would be me, I don't like him at ALL. Yes, I know violence is bad but sometimes some people just need a good smack upside the head or a good punch in the face. I swear I'm not violent...although yesterday my boyfriend took an elbow to the face, but I swear that was an accident!

My friends and I used to play the collective noun game and try to stump each other. For a long time we didn't know, nor could we find, the collective noun for jellyfish. Nowadays all you have to do is find it on Wikipedia! (Turns out they are a fluther/smack of jellyfish.) I've never heard of the book, if only I had we could have solved the mystery much sooner. Looks like my library has it. I'll have to pick it up, along with another book that was recommended to me yesterday, "The History of the World in Six Glasses". Has anyone read that one? I guess I can take a short break from my beloved mystery and crime fiction.

NM checking in late but wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed your recap. And I miss LT as well. Nevertheless, looking forward to taking to trip with you and our other recappers and commenting friends.

No wonder my Spanish students ' eyes did not glaze over while we were studying modal auxiliaries.

I teach them the 12 English verb tenses, and most people struggle to understand and use many of those tenses. how many verb tenses does Spanish have ?...16 ? That is what one of my Spanishseaking students told me.

Ladies/Gents, some of these telenovelas can turn a person to a life of crime and violence, how many of you have watched CI? Now, answer me this: While watching the show don't you feel like hitting someone? Or hurting one of the characters? Or maybe running into traffic to make the torture stop? Can you blame me for my violent outbursts?

Eli..you are preaching to the choir , girl. CI has spun out of control. I'd like a chance to smack almost everyone, but some more than others...Jackass, Migreedy, and Oblivio, I am looking directly at you guys, Nithing makes sense, so I have given up trying to find any logic in the show? I am just here for the witty recaps, and I surf in and out of the novela just to see what people are wearing..high low skirts, silk pjs, jeans, satin blouses...

Someone might have noted this already, but I read on tvbythenumbers that "The finale of Univision’s 9 p.m. novela “La Tempestad”...was the highest rated program of the evening among Adults 18-49. Univision’s 9 p.m. novela “La Tempestad” (The Storm), which ended on Friday evening, helped Univision rank as the #3 broadcast network for the hour (M-F) among Adults 18-34 and #4 among Adults 18-49."

My heart is broken. I too am suffering from withdrawals. Help! I need a dose of DamFab, STAT! Ahh, I too thought I saw La Tempestad on the horizon; with DamFab and the crew holding the missing episodes that Uni left on the cutting room floor. But, it was just my imagination, or perhaps I just miss our Capitan.

I hope that I can join you all on The Patio. Do you remember me? Even though I have watched TN's for years, LT is the only TN I have commented on. WL is gone, but at least we have SR. And ITA that he looks better with the longer hair.

I am getting to know the characters, and already Maria is getting on my nerves. I watched CME, and she got on my nerves on that one as well. Also like the chemistry between Montse and Ale. Muy caliente!

That poor car does not deserve to have Frauddie's smarmy arse contaminating her upholstery. --Julia

"The tiresome child is returned to us." I agree with Vivi, the rescue was worth it to see Enzo in his wet t-shirt. Yowza that man's got a bod. If I were Chela I'd be pushing Temo in the well every time Enzo drives up.

She is just so stupid. I can't stand it. Doesn't it make you just want to shoot a taser at her? Your just sitting there reading the paper minding your own business. She walks in and starts screeching and you hide the taser next to you and fire. ZZZZZttttt! She flops around on the floor like a fish out of water. That would shut her pie hole for sure! I feel so much better now. - Connie

Gonzo is dead to me.
I want Barb to fall off a cliff. And take Dam & Cam with her.
I want to hit Esteve over the head with a Nerf bat.
If want to duct tape Gardenia's mouth shut.
I want Flor to get different glasses.
I want Curls & Sniffles to stop crying. --Doris

Who on earth is that guy with the horrible hair!!! Dios mio, se parece como se vomito una escoba encima!!!! (He looks like a broom barfed on his head.) -- Anonymous

I want Guy Ecker to look at me with his ojos. I want Fernando Colunga to take me in his arms, embrace me and whisper sweet nothings in my ear. I want William Levy to kiss me, over and over and then start over again." -- Newbie-One-Kanobe